Diurnal Immune Cell Migration Patterns Characterized in the Spaceflight Environment

Abstract

Daily diurnal immune rhythm shapes biological pathways of organisms and closely aligns with optimizing energy usage in response to environmental light-dark cycles. Immune mobilization depends on diurnal signals to regulate immunity. In spaceflight, disrupted circadian rhythms and immune systems are noted. However, crosstalk between these systems has not been fully characterized. To fill this knowledge gap, we utilized a ground-based model of spaceflight to phenotype diurnal immunity in mice. For this, 24-week-old male and female mice were exposed to a combination of single-housed, acute 15cGy 5-ion GCRsim irradiation and continuous hindlimb unloading for 2 weeks on a light:dark [12hr:12hr] cycle throughout. Blood was collected at 24 hours and 2 weeks post irradiation and flow cytometrically profiled. Additionally, ribo-depleted, bulk RNA sequencing characterized unique, diurnal and sex-specific biosignatures. This work expands our understanding of diurnal immunity which is important to consider for personalized medicine directives for astronauts. This work was supported in part by the NASA Human Research Program (HRP) Human Factors Behavioral Performance Element Grant 18 18FLAG 2 0028 to AER and Embry-Riddle Start-up grant to Dr. Amber Paul

    Similar works